“Words Kids Need to Hear: To Help them to be Who God Made them To Be”

That’s a new book by David Staal, my friend and head of children’s ministry at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington.

This is a little book with big ideas - Daviud says there are seven statements kids need to hear, audibly or otherwise, from their parents:

I believe in you
You can count on me
I treasure you
I’m sorry, please forgive me
Because
No
I love you

David will be a guest on my radio show tomorrow, but I wanted to let you know about his new book, out now from Zondervan, today. You can of course get it from Amazon, or any Christian book store. You’ll be so glad you did!

Thanks for stopping by - Betsy Hart

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For all you moms and dads getting ready to send off your well brought up children to college next fall - watch out. Professor Donna Freitas writes in her new book, “Sex and the Soul,” that you may have missed the part of the campus tour which dealt with the rampant sex culture at college, including theme parties like “CEOs and Prostitutes.” She wrote about her extensive research and findings in yesterday’s WSJ, and every parent should see this!

Sex on Campus

Donna will be my guest on the radio show tomorrow, so be sure to tune in.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Betsy Hart

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Here’s a really good piece from yesterday’s New York Times. It seems that not just how much TV a child watches, but where he watches it, is key to how much it will affect him for the worse. As many as HALF of American kids have televisions in their bedrooms. Moms and Dads of America - get those TV sets out of there!

Get the TV out of the Kids’ Bedrooms

Happy Parenting - Betsy

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Hi Friends - I took my two older  kids to see Spiderwick Chronicles this weekend (it’s third in the box office ratings) and I really liked it, and so did my kids.  Very scary, but no foul language or sexual content.

I didn’t quite know what to expect from the movie, but one of my daughters had devoured the books the movie was based on, so off we went.  There is lots of action, and and a good and redemptive story line.

But it’s the subtle but clear messages that I liked most, messages about the meaning, value, and definition of family, and a dad who chooses to separate from his wife and children - which is presented in the film as meaning he’s sadly chosen to live “outside the circle of safety.”

I also like that this is no, “I am single mom hear me roar” diatribe.  Just the opposite.  Mom is beautifully holding her family together, but Dad’s importance is strongly felt in his very absence from the home.  In fact, in one scene it’s clear that in leaving his family, he’s put his family into physical danger!   S0, this actually becomes a “pro” husband and father message we just don’t get enough of in our culture today.

I  hope you get a chance to enjoy the film.
Happy Parenting - Betsy

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Hi friends - here’s a great piece from the New York Times magazine on Sunday about the importance of “play” - for all of us! I know that when it comes to our kids, it’s easy to forget how important fun is. (The author will be guest on the radio show this week, more on that later.)

The Business of Play

Happy Parenting!

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Happy Valentine’s Day. Be sure to tune into “It Takes a Parent” today when producer Lynne and “favorite mom” Anne Morton and I talk about teens and romance and the “chemistry of love.” We’ll look at the findings from recent studies that love really is a lot like, well, drugs.

So then, is romance, even apart from sex, something our teens should be encouraged to engage in, as our culture wants them to?

You can listen live on WYLL/AM1160 Chicago at 2:00 central, or here after the show.

Thanks for tuning in! And happy Valentine’s Day.

Betsy

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Here’s an interesting piece from the NYT on “Coping with the caveman in the crib.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/health/05well.html?ex=1202878800&en=29bdb50fdcc2fa76&ei=5070&emc=eta1

I’ve always said that kids need to be “civilized.”

Enjoy

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Hi Friends - I’ve come across a great book that many of you may already know about.  “Age of Opportunity:  A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens” by Paul David Tripp.

Tripp is a renowned author and speaker, and on the pastoral staff at 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.

In Age of Opportunity, which came out in 2001, Tripp speaks to the need to see the hearts of our teens, to parent them thoughtfully and deliberately.  He says that parents of kids that age are worn out because they focus too much on the wrong things,  and not enough on the right ones - spiritually shepherding, and reaching the hearts of, their kids.

I’ve had it recommended to me many times by parents of teens.  (I loved “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” by Paul’s brother Tedd Tripp.)  Now that my oldest children are entering their teen years, I decided it was time to delve into it myself.

This book is different than almost any other book on teens you will read - and might even make you glad you have teenagers!

You can of course find it on Amazon.com

I hope to have Paul Tripp on my radio show soon - stay tuned!

Happy Parenting - Betsy Hart

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Hi Friends - I hope you had a great three-day weekend.

Well, Bill Cosby was at it again on MLK today, stirring up controversy and reminding people it really does take a parent. His focus was the Black community, but his words are for every parent!  You’ll want to sese what he has to say.

Bill Cosby

And hey, we’re putting together a great show this week so be sure to tune in.

Happy Parenting!

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Hi friends - this week on the radio show I’ll be talking live to Dr. Madeline Levine, a practicing psychotherapist and author of “The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids.” (I’ll also be writing about her book in my column.)

Here’s why - it’s an excerpt from the book I wanted to share with you in today’s parenting tip (this link you’ll have to paste into your browser)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/25/CMG5EJ6PF71.DTL

Levine deals in her practice with teenagers who get plenty of attention from parents and school, they have a good standard of living - but they are extraordinarily unhappy, more so than teens in the past. Her experience is echoed by her professional peers around the country. What’s going on?

Here’s one hint:

Levine writes that today we set academic standards for our kids that are exceedingly high, while at the same time we have standards for their involvement in family life that are exceedingly low. How true!

I don’t agree with everything she says - she seems to take a more “hands off” view of the teen years than I would - but wow she makes some great points. And this isn’t just about affluent teens, there’s so much here for all parents. You’ll definitely want to have a read of the excerpt- and pass it on!

Happy parenting - Betsy

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